Boating

Get on the water. Fish from a dory boat, paddle in a kayak or on a Stand-Up Paddle board, or take a guided raft trip through the whitewater. Ruedi Reservoir is the site for alpine sailing, float fishing and more splashable fun. Read on to learn about all of Basalt’s boating opportunities.

Sailing

Sailing in the middle of the Colorado Rockies, at 7,800 feet above sea level? Yep!

As unlikely as it may seem, for over a half-century now, the nonprofit Aspen Yacht Club has been gathering like-minded adventurers to enjoy the sun, wind and water by sailboat each summer at high altitude Ruedi Reservoir, just 14 miles east of Basalt up the Fryingpan River.

Although the Aspen Yacht Club is a private sailing club, there are several events each year that are open to the public, like the annual regatta. It takes place near the end of July and brings together nearly 50 sailboats from around Colorado to compete in dinghy and keelboat racing. Kids ages 10 to 16 can learn about sailing with a special course offered in collaboration with the Aspen Recreation Center each summer.

Boating

Ruedi Marina Campground is situated on Ruedi Reservoir, and has the boat ramp for access to the lake for wakeboarding, water skiing, fishing and cruising. There is also long-term boat storage, so there is no need to haul a boat in and out.

Note that there’s mandatory boat inspection to stop spread of aquatic nuisance species, which is done right at the boat ramp.